really depends on how you want to present your fly. a bead head of the right weight should give you more of a jigging action over a lead underbody. i suppose it could look like some sort of eye which might help trigger strikes.

I generally prefer non-weighted patterns in the still since I tend to use a sinking line most often. Usually a weighted pattern on a fast sink is too much of a good thing…just don’t think the action is right. I like weighted or beaded flies for shallow retrieve off a floating line or as a dropper from a dry fly.

Bead heads on floating lines, non weighted on sinking lines. I weight some of my nymphs with lead, but it is hard for me to remeber which are weighted and which aren't some times, but a bead head is easy to remember.

I usually fish flies without beads. The one thing thats has worked well for me in the past is run a couple of orange troutbeads up your leader and than tie in a leech pattern. When you strip you leech in the 2 beads will bang against each other. Its somewhat of an attractor for fish to come and investigate. It has worked well this past summer and fall. Give'r a go.:thumb:

I don't tie beadheads because I don't like their unnatural appearance. I use underbody wraps of a lead free wire instead. I prefer an unweighted fly whenever possible because I think it has a more natural action in the water.

To aid in identifying weighted from unweighted flies in your box just use a different color thread on the weighted flies.

I don't tie beadheads because I don't like their unnatural appearance. I use underbody wraps of a lead free wire instead.

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iagree

When I returned to flyfishing in the late 1990s after a 25 year hiatus, one of my mentors told me about an annual fishing trip he and some friends had made Chopaka several years earlier. The use of beadhead nymphs had recently become popular and eager to try them, he and his friends incorporated beads into some of their favorite patterns.

They found two things in quick succession. First, that the beadhead nymphs initially caught more fish. But second, they very soon after stopped producing. Baffled, they tried other patterns with little success before switching back to their original weighted but non-beadheaded patterns. They soon started catching fish again and kept catching them as long as they stayed with the non-beadhead versions.

Comparing notes around the campfire, they theorized that the fish initially were attracted to the beadheads by their unusual appearance. But after their initial encounters, the fish learned to associate the bright, unnatural 'food' with an pain in the mouth and a scary experience and began avoiding them.

My friend tried the same experiment at different lakes that year with similar results. He hasn't tied a beadhead nymph since.

When I returned to flyfishing in the late 1990s after a 25 year hiatus, one of my mentors told me about an annual fishing trip he and some friends had made Chopaka several years earlier. The use of beadhead nymphs had recently become popular and eager to try them, he and his friends incorporated beads into some of their favorite patterns.

They found two things in quick succession. First, that the beadhead nymphs initially caught more fish. But second, they very soon after stopped producing. Baffled, they tried other patterns with little success before switching back to their original weighted but non-beadheaded patterns. They soon started catching fish again and kept catching them as long as they stayed with the non-beadhead versions.

Comparing notes around the campfire, they theorized that the fish initially were attracted to the beadheads by their unusual appearance. But after their initial encounters, the fish learned to associate the bright, unnatural 'food' with an pain in the mouth and a scary experience and began avoiding them.

My friend tried the same experiment at different lakes that year with similar results. He hasn't tied a beadhead nymph since.

K

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thats interesting, i wonder if a duller beadhead maybe something that would blend with the fly would solve that problem.

thats interesting, i wonder if a duller beadhead maybe something that would blend with the fly would solve that problem.

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My friend gave up on beads altogether and returned to wrapping lead (or lead-free) wire around the hook shank before tying the pattern. That said, I've seen black beads that might reduce the 'unnatural' appearance of the fly.

As a direct result of my friend's experience, I've simply stopped using beads for nearly all of the nymphs I tie. The most effective nymph pattern in my box is a gold ribbed hare's ear with no bead, flash or other stuff except for a skinny tinsel or wire rib.

I appreciate all the good info, your shared experiences help us learn more about fish behaviour. I've noticed some days beadheads work great and other days they don't. Wondered what might be some of the reasons for that. Atomspheric and water conditions certainly play a big role in feeding behaviour. I'm always curious to learn if some of our "improvements" to time proven fly designs work in the manner desired (assumed) or like the third tailight on autos the effect is short lived. Whatever the answers, sure makes creative tying and fishing fun!
Scott